Hellman nodded and turned back to Chandler, “Comb your hair, will you? There’s a mirror over there on the wall behind the cameraman.”
“What, no makeup?”
Hellman snorted. “No offense, but you’re nobody important. So, no, you’re not getting any makeup.”
Chandler knew that appearing professional and confident would play an important role in achieving their goal. He straightened his hair and tie, then took a few deep breaths to wipe the lines of stress from his face.
Mather was waiting for Chandler and Hellman to take their seats. Cables snaked across the floor from three cameras that stood like sentries guarding the set.
The floor director helped them clip on their lapel mikes, then positioned them for the camera setup. Mather sat to the right of Hellman and Chandler, who sat beside each other. Large spotlights shone down upon them, bathing the small area in bright white light.
The director checked with the producer and sound techs who were seated off to the side. After getting a thumbs-up in response, he held up three fingers and counted down.
Mather began speaking, introducing the viewers to the setting, and stating the purpose of their interview.
“Mr. Hellman,” Mather said, “I believe it’s safe to say that you feel your client is not guilty.”
“He isn’t just ‘not guilty,’ he’s innocent.”
“I didn’t realize there was a difference,” Mather said, a broad smile creasing his face.
Hellman maintained a serious, almost clinical expression. “‘Not guilty,’ in my opinion, carries a negative connotation. Simply stated, Dr. Madison is completely innocent of this crime and is being wrongly charged. In fact, we are in the process of amassing evidence which demonstrates that he was framed.”
“Framed?” Mather asked. He straightened in his seat.
“That’s what we’re working on right now. Ryan Chandler is our investigator,” Hellman said, nodding toward his associate.
“Are the police working with you on this?” Mather asked, turning toward Chandler.
“The police are not involved in our investigation at this time.”
“And why is that?”
Chandler leaned forward a bit. “We’re still putting together all the details. We felt it would be better that we have all our cards in order first. We don’t want them to think we’re making a baseless accusation. Then we wouldn’t have their confidence, or even their cooperation, when we complete our work and have more solid objective evidence to turn over to them.”
“Are you saying that the police were delinquent in their investigation of this case?”
Hellman glanced over at Chandler. Being that Chandler was “one of them,” it was preferable that he address such an issue.
“Not at all,” Chandler said. “The police, I’m sure, have been as diligent in their investigation as possible. They brought in a suspect, and they did it within a reasonable period of time following the murders.”
“What would you consider to be a reasonable period of time?”
“Three, four days. Longer than that, and your chances of catching the suspect decline significantly. Evidence is destroyed, suspects and witnesses disappear, people forget what they saw.”
“Do you think the police feel they have the right man?”
“I’m sure they feel confident in the evidence they’ve amassed, and I have to admit that it does point to Phillip Madison. However, Dr. Madison was not the driver of that vehicle. He’s been falsely accused.”
“Understanding that you’ve been hired by the defense, Mr. Chandler, what gives you the objectivity to make such a statement?”
“Seven years with the Sacramento Police Department, two years as a special investigator with the Sacramento County District Attorney. I’m currently a forensic investigator with the New York Police Department. I’ve seen the evidence, and I’m awaiting results on tests that I strongly believe will show that Dr. Madison was not the driver of that vehicle.”
“These tests you mentioned. Are these tests on physical evidence that you’re conducting?”
“Yes,” Chandler said.
“If Dr. Madison was not driving, do you have any theories on who was?”
Hellman stepped in. “Yes, we do.”
“Who then?”
Hellman raised an eyebrow. “We’re not prepared to say just yet.”
“And why is that?”
“As Mr. Chandler said a few moments ago, we’re not going to release the name until we’ve gotten we’ve spoken with the police and district attorney. Our goal is to work with them, not against them.”
“Mr. Hellman, some would say that this is just a ploy on the part of a clever defense attorney to create reasonable doubt for his client. You produce another possible suspect, and then the jury is confused and can’t return a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. You’ve done that several times in the past-”
“I’m not here to discuss my past cases,” Hellman said. He paused for a moment, then continued. “And this is not defense ploy. I believe that not only is Dr. Madison is innocent, but that once we have all our tests completed, this case will not be going to trial. So there’ll be no jury to ‘confuse,’ as you put it. The prosecutor, Mr. Denton, will drop the charges.”
“You’re that sure of your evidence.”
“I’m that sure.”
“How can the People be sure that your test results will be accurate?”
Hellman looked over at Chandler.
Chandler leaned forward. “The facility running the tests is reputable, I assure you.” He suddenly realized he had not told Hellman where he’d taken the samples. “And the DA would of course be free to conduct his own tests.”
“This brings me to another topic I wanted to touch on. What’s the story behind those rape charges?”
“First of all,” Hellman said, “there never have been any rape charges. Second of all, rape has nothing to do with this case-”
“But it goes Dr. Madison’s credibility, doesn’t it, Mr. Hellman?”
“Dr. Madison has never been charged with anything except the charges he is currently facing,” he said.
“But he was the subject of a rape case.”
Chandler realized that Hellman was cornered. However, the trump card was their ability to edit out anything they did not find acceptable.
Hellman shifted a bit in his seat. “There was an investigation the police conducted involving a complaint on the part of a woman, but the police later closed the case and she withdrew her complaint. There was no truth to any of it.”
“Was the woman paid off, Mr. Hellman?”
“I believe you’ve heard the saying ‘crime doesn’t pay,’” Hellman said, “and since the complaint was filled with lies, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.”
The reporter leaned forward. “By that do you mean that this woman did not receive a payoff to keep quiet and drop the charges?”
“She did not benefit one red cent,” Hellman said.
Chandler looked over at Hellman and saw a thin trail of perspiration rolling down the side of his face. If a copy of the Harding-Ehrhardt contract Hellman had drawn up had made it into Mather’s hands, it would be an uncomfortable revelation-regardless of whether or not it was later edited out of the final cut. The existence of the document would still make it onto the eleven o’clock news. And if Mather had a copy of it, others in the press could get their hands on it as well-and then the task of preserving and restoring Madison’s reputation would require something bordering on divine intervention.
The rest of the interview consisted of a few mundane questions about facts already known by the press; Mather requested more depth and information where none existed. Although this appeared to frustrate the reporter, it allowed Hellman to conclude the interview without incident.
Afterward, Chandler, Madison, and Hellman accompanied Mather into an edit bay, a small six-by-six room with large digitized video machines. They watched as the seven-minute interview was edited down to three, and
